"Rookie quarterback Jake Locker played well in his NFL preseason debut, and that's a big plus for the Tennessee Titans, Coach Mike Munchak said Sunday.

But Munchak made it clear that the coaches are counting on veteran Matt Hasselbeck to start this season. So no matter how well Locker plays in the preseason, there's probably nothing he can do to change their minds.

At least for now, Locker remains the future at the position.

"We are just taking it a week at a time, but we are assuming it is going to be that way, that Matt will be the starter when the season starts,'' Munchak said a day after the Titans beat the Vikings 14-3 in the preseason opener. "They both played well in a limited role, so you move on to the next week and see how things go. But it couldn't have gone any better for us at that position."

The Titans never tried to hide their plans at quarterback.

Immediately after they selected Locker with the eighth pick, General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said the former University of Washington star wouldn't be thrown to the wolves right away. Last month the Titans signed Hasselbeck to a three-year, $20 million contract with $9 million in the first year — clearly starter money.

Locker has progressed even faster than the Titans envisioned, however. After an impressive two weeks of training camp he was 7-of-10 passing for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings.

Hasselbeck also played well in his debut, going 5-of-6 for 55 yards and exiting after one drive.

The Titans plan to start Hasselbeck again on Saturday against the Rams, Munchak said, but will give Locker more snaps than he got against the Vikings."